[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1551-E1552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 OFFERING A SUMMARY OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING ON FLORIDA WATERWAYS 
                                 ISSUES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PATRICK MURPHY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 23, 2013

  Mr. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on October 3rd, we held an 
historic bipartisan Congressional briefing on issues affecting the St. 
Lucie and Caloosahatchee waterways, bringing national attention to the 
issue of toxic waters that have been plaguing the Treasure Coast. For 
both those who were unable to attend and for those that were there, I 
hope the following summary of the briefing will be helpful. For more 
information on the briefing, including a full transcript and video and 
presentations from panelists, please visit: 
www.PatrickMurphy.house.gov/IndianRiverLagoon.


                            Community Voices

  It was great to see so many familiar faces from the district who were 
able to attend our briefing. There was an overwhelming showing of 
support, with over a hundred community members who came to bring 
national attention to this pressing issue, leaving us with standing 
room only. The bus full of dozens of residents that held fundraisers to 
make the long journey up to Washington, D.C. was unprecedented, and 
their presence helped demonstrate the gravity of this issue and its 
impact on the lives of those in the affected communities.
  We heard from a variety of community members throughout the briefing 
including children who told of how their summer was dramatically 
affected by the pollution in the river, and long-time residents who 
have seen the problem year after year. We all came together to send 
many decision makers at the local, state, and federal levels a clear 
message: This is a serious problem that demands solutions.


                             Panelist Input

  Though because of the government shutdown our federal agency 
panelists could not attend the briefing, our state and local panelists 
gave many perspectives and insights into federal, local and state work 
underway and also discussed what else needs to be done in order to 
fully address the issue. They included:
  Secretary Herschel Vinyard, Florida Department of Environmental 
Protection
  Ernie Barnett, Assistant Executive Director, Everglades Ecosystem 
Restoration, South Florida Water Management District
  Dr. Tom Van Lent, Senior Scientist, Everglades Foundation
  Senator Joe Negron, Chair of State Select Committee on the Indian 
River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee Basin
  Representative Matt Caldwell, Florida House of Representatives--
District 79
  Representative Heather Fitzenhagen, Florida House of 
Representatives--District 78
  Thomas MacVicar, MacVicar Consulting, Inc.
  Mark Perry, Executive Director, Florida Oceanographic Society
  Martin County Commissioner Chair Sarah Heard
  St. Lucie County Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson
  Lee County Commissioner Larry Kiker
  Mayor Kevin Ruane, Sanibel, Florida
  Todd Bonlarron, Legislative Director, Palm Beach County
  Mr. Roland Ottolini, Director, Lee County Division of Natural 
Resources
  Dr. Brian LaPointe, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida 
Atlantic University
  The panelists highlighted many important points and everyone agreed 
that continuing to fight and urge for funding for existing Army Corps 
projects is crucial, such as the C-44 Indian River Lagoon Project, 
Herbert Hoover Dike repairs, and other Everglades restoration projects 
to provide relief to our imperiled waterways. There was also consensus 
that provisions in the House Water Resources Reform and Development Act 
(WRRDA) will help to move forward on Everglades ecosystem restoration, 
which has a huge impact on our area. After passing WRRDA, we will 
continue to pressure the Army Corps to complete the Chief's Report for 
the Central Everglades Planning Project so that these important 
projects can move forward as well.


                            Member Advocacy

  I also was thankful that over 20 Members of Congress came to learn 
more about this issue and to hear directly from community members on 
how these toxic waters have affected them. Below is a list of which 
Members of Congress attended and some of the comments they made:
  Senator Bill Nelson--
  ``There are way too many nutrients in [the water], and I am sure you 
have already had the testimony of what happens when there is too many 
nutrients. It is not only that bottle, but that has been going on for 
years.''
  ``We have got to continue the appropriations for the Everglades 
restoration. We have to keep the fire under the Army Corps of 
Engineers.''
  ``My ask of you all would be to keep up the pressure.''
  House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi--
  ``When Patrick Murphy came in with that bottle I was not sure what 
was going on. When he told me what that water was, it was really 
shocking.''
  ``The fact that all of you are here is a tribute to how important the 
issue is . . . I think your being here and their support for this 
elevates this to an issue of national significance.''
  House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (who was so moved by the briefing 
that he visited the district on October 14th to see the problem 
firsthand)--
  ``This is a crucially important issue, not just for Florida, but also 
for our nation. This is an extraordinary resource, and Florida is a 
resource. I want to thank you for doing those carwashes to come up 
here. Saying democracy works is a little tough today, but I have been 
in office for 45 years. Democracy works. Democracy works because 
conscientious people take their time and effort to communicate their 
concerns.''
  House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill 
Shuster--
  On WRRDA legislation: ``We worked very hard in the committee to 
produce a bipartisan product and went through a number of listening 
sessions from local stakeholders to industries and companies that have 
interests in the ports, harbors, waterways, and environmental 
restoration projects.''
  ``Both Republicans and Democrats both saw the need to make sure we 
move these projects forward faster and I think anybody that runs any 
type of organization knows that time is money. So, we get this done 
faster and we can save money and get these projects closer to 
completion.''
  House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Nick 
Rahall
  House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio
  Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and 
the Environment Ranking Member Tim Bishop
  Co-chair of the Everglades Caucus Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart
  Co-chair of the Everglades Caucus and the Florida Delegation Rep. 
Alcee L. Hastings
  Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Member Rep. Cheri Bustos
  Florida Congressional Delegation Members: Rep. Corrine Brown; Rep. 
Ted Deutch;

[[Page E1552]]

Rep. Lois Frankel; Rep. Joe Garcia; Rep. John Mica; Rep. Bill Posey; 
Rep. Tom Rooney; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Rep. Daniel Webster; 
Rep. Ted Yoho.
  Every Member who attended was provided a comprehensive information on 
this issue, as well as actions Congress can take to help address this 
problem.
  While I was extremely pleased to have a number of my colleagues 
attend this briefing to hear directly from our community, we have a 
long and challenging fight ahead of us to get the message to 200 other 
Members of the House to ensure that Congress continues to fund and 
authorize projects and initiatives that will help clean the waters of 
our local rivers and estuaries.


                              Common Goals

  One of the goals of this briefing was to isolate common goals among 
the many parties and stakeholders in the room. Some of the reoccurring 
points many stakeholders agree on that need work on the federal level 
are:
     Continue to advocate to Members of Congress the importance of 
         Everglades restoration funding
  The shocking photos provided by local residents depicting this 
devastation to the ecosystem were on full display to all Members, as 
well as the presence of so many concerned citizens speaking personally 
about how these discharges have impacted them and the community. This 
education aspect of the briefing was crucial. With the 22 Members who 
attended, they now can help garner support for important measures 
related to local environmental projects when they come up for a vote, 
helping us advocate for the passage of the House Water Resources Reform 
and Development Act (WRRDA) and including needed funding in the 
Administration's budget. But our advocacy work isn't done. We still 
must make the case that Everglades restoration funding is an important 
goal that ALL Members of Congress should support.
     Funding to complete Everglades restoration projects
  Everyone agreed that continuing to fight and urge for funding for 
existing Army Corps projects is crucial. With the involvement of 
Congress and federal agency officials, we can work together to 
prioritize funding for ongoing projects such as the C-44 Indian River 
Lagoon Project, the Kissimmee River restoration project, and other 
Everglades restoration projects that once completed will provide relief 
to our imperiled waterways. In order for the entire system to function 
better, many key components must be able to function. Completing 
projects that are already under construction will help us most 
effectively clean the waterways of southern Florida.
     Continued funding to rehabilitate the Herbert Hoover Dike
  One of the biggest problems affecting our waterways is that Lake 
Okeechobee can only retain a specific amount of water safely. That is 
why the community agrees that the Army Corps must continue its work of 
rehabilitating the Herbert Hoover Dike to get it to a state where it 
can contain more water safely. Holding more water in the lake is the 
most effective method of water retention in the area, and while this 
will be a long term project, Congress must act to continue to fund the 
critical work of rehabilitating this vulnerable structure.
     Passing the House WRRDA bill
  There was also consensus that provisions in the House WRRDA bill will 
allow state and federal actors to move forward on Everglades ecosystem 
restoration, which in turn benefits our district. In addition to 
passing WRRDA, we also need to continue to pressure for the Chief's 
Report for the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) so that these 
important projects can move forward as well. While the CEPP Chief's 
Report isn't scheduled to be complete until 2014, the timing of passing 
a final WRRDA bill will be crucial.
     Urging the Corps to safely reexamine the Lake Okeechobee 
         Release Schedule
  Another issue that was discussed is the need for the Army Corps to 
reevaluate at what level the lake can safely retain water by 
reassessing the Lake Okeechobee Release Schedule (LORS). I sent a 
letter to Army Corps officials just prior to the briefing but we must 
continue to urge them to take this action to reduce these harmful 
discharges from the lake into the St. Lucie.
     Getting federal agencies more involved on the ground
  Unfortunately, due to a government shutdown, our federal agency 
panelists were unable to attend. Although we were still able to have a 
robust and important conversation, it is vital that these federal 
agencies become more involved. They each have a role to play, and their 
engagement can be helpful to addressing the river issue. I will be 
working with my colleagues who attended the briefing to push for this 
involvement from agencies such as the Army Corps, NOAA, and Fish and 
Wildlife, as well as invite these officials to see the damage firsthand 
so they see the urgent need to move forward with these ongoing 
projects.
  There was also unity on the state moving forward quickly and 
aggressively with their water quality implementation plans.


                             Moving Forward

  The briefing successfully brought this important issue into the 
national spotlight. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a Congress that 
could not even come together to keep the government open, so a fight 
for funding to address the pollution impacting our local waterways in 
the current ``no spending'' climate will be a challenge, but is a 
challenge we must take on. There is a difference between wasteful 
spending, something I've been tackling in the past 10 months, and smart 
investments such as these projects needed to help our local 
environment, that provide a three-to-one return on investments. While I 
can't promise that this issue will be solved in the next year or even 
the next several years, I do promise to do everything I can to move us 
towards this end. I remain focused on this issue of great concern to 
our community, our environment, our economy, and our entire way of 
life.

                          ____________________